The Rooming Dilemma
by jeon snow
Summary: Reyna's roommate's boyfriend is staying over, and somehow that leads her to sleeping on Leo Valdez's floor. College AU. ONESHOT.


**Disclaimer: I'm not Rick Riordan. This is just a one-shot because I needed something to help me cure my Leyna feels.** _ **Ugh.**_ **Why do I always ship the non canon ships the most?**

Reyna doesn't have a problem rooming with Annabeth.

In fact, Annabeth is more or less the ideal roommate - she doesn't snoop into things that aren't her business, she pays her rent, never turns her music up too loud, she can do her own laundry and can be as neat as Reyna, and most importantly, Annabeth is someone Reyna can hold a conversation with for longer than ten minutes. Whether it was about the latest assignment from their respective professors or something as silly as the soap opera playing on TV, Reyna is glad the two of them get along.

"Hey, Reyna," Annabeth calls over her shoulder, and Reyna looks up from her book, giving a curious look at the blonde. "Is it okay if my boyfriend comes over? For the weekend?" She asks Reyna, her stormy grey eyes glinting with a silent plead. Reyna shrugs - she doesn't really mind couples, especially after her old roommate, a sports major named Jason Chase, had his girlfriend come to their old shared apartment almost every day of the week (of course, it doesn't really help she used to have a thing for Jason before he got taken, but that's a different story), and Reyna has to admit, she's curious as to how the 'mysterious boyfriend' looks like in real life.

"Sure," Reyna answers, nodding her head slightly. Annabeth grins, her blonde curls bouncing as she perks up at the answer. "Do you want me to help prepare?" She offers, and Annabeth shakes her head, a warm smile tugging on her lips.

"I'd really appreciate that, Reyna. Thanks!"

"Don't mention it."

/ / /

The first time Percy Jackson comes over, Reyna is impressed, but she isn't surprised. Percy Jackson is quite the catch, she thinks, with his sea green eyes, jet-black hair and sun-kissed skin, looking like he could pass as a Greek god. She's not interested though; she sees the way he and Annabeth look at each other, the love and adoration showing clearly through their eyes, and she only wonders if she'll ever find someone who will look at her like that. Apparently, he also brings a pack of candy with him as a guest gift, and Reyna simply smiles in amusement as she sees Annabeth shake her head with exasperation as if it's happened a million times before.

"This is great," Percy says after he digs into his meal, a steaming plate of lasagna Reyna prepared a few hours ago. Annabeth nods in agreement as she continues eating, sending a grateful look to her roommate who eats her own lasagna slower than the couple, savoring each bite with contempt.

"Thank you, Percy." Reyna nods her head in thanks, and Percy mumbles something that sounds like a 'don't mention it', but one can't be sure when the boy has got his mouth full of food. To Reyna, it looks messy and slightly disgusting, but Annabeth seems used to it. She wonders how long they've been together to look so familiar and comfortable with each other, but she doesn't feel like asking - they seem to like the quiet well enough, and she doesn't want to disrupt them.

"So, Reyna, what do you major in?" Percy asks curiously, and Reyna looks over to Annabeth, as if trying to say _'wow do you never talk about me?'_ Annabeth tries to not meet her gaze. "I mean, Wise Girl here talks to me about you sometimes, but it's usually about how you're so active in campus and all, but she's never said anything about what you study," Percy rambles, and to Reyna, it looks like he's going to continue rambling unless she cuts him off.

"I'm a law student," Reyna answers, and Percy nods, his mouth forming a small 'o' as if everything is clear now. It's kind of cute, but again, she'd rather not try to take a chance with him. "What about you, Percy?"

"Oh, me? Marine biology." He puffs his chest proudly, and Annabeth shakes her head fondly at him. "I don't go to college here, though," He adds after a few moments of hesitation, and Reyna nods, already suspecting that piece of information - if he went to the same college as her, chances are Reyna would've met him a few times, or at least once. Alas, this is their first meeting.

"He goes to Stony Brook. They have a good marine biology program," Annabeth chimes in, and Percy shoots her a blinding grin.

"That's my Wise Girl."

"Go back to eating, Seaweed Brain."

/ / /

Percy Jackson's second visit is, for a lack of better word, less pleasant than his first visit. There is no dinner and Reyna stays in her room for the remainder of the evening, but she has to put on her earphones and turn up the volume to the highest option because of Annabeth and Percy's loud laughter and playful arguments from the living room. And if she thought _that_ was bad, Reyna is in for an unpleasant surprise when the noises start coming from Annabeth's bedroom next-door.

Needless to say, she goes to sleep with a blush adorning her face.

(Okay, who is she kidding, she couldn't even sleep).

It doesn't really help the next few visits end like the second visit instead of the first.

/ / /

"Hey, Reyna," Annabeth greets her roommate as she enters their dorm carrying a bag filled with this month's groceries. They always take turns grocery shopping, and this month it's Annabeth's turn. Reyna only told Annabeth to buy them a new pack of cereal and some vegetables though, so she's perplexed when she sees how many shopping bags Annabeth brings back.

"What did you buy?" Reyna asks, raising a brow at the blonde.

Annabeth blushes, and it takes Reyna's self control and pride to not roll her eyes and groan like a teenage girl. Well, she didn't need to be here this Friday anyways.

"Percy's coming over on Friday," Annabeth answers, and she doesn't ask for permission anymore, because Reyna's already made it clear she doesn't mind whenever Annabeth's boyfriend visits. It's not that she understands what it's like to be in a long distance relationship, because Reyna has a gaping hole in her list of dating experience, but it's more like she likes Annabeth and wants her to be happy. Annabeth probably doesn't suspect Reyna's slight dislike at Percy's visits (though that only happened after the second visit), and Reyna doesn't want to make her feel guilty.

"Stay safe," Reyna warns, her tone solemn and serious.

She has to duck when Annabeth chucks a box of tissues at her, face red as a tomato.

/ / /

One of Reyna's favourite places to hang out is Mr. D's Brewery, which, as its name suggests, is a place that sells drinks in the middle of campus. The owner, Dionysus, is known to be an alcoholic on the path to sobriety. His therapy doesn't stop him from opening a place that serves both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks though, and besides, Dionysus's wines are a worthwhile investment.

"I'll have my usual." Reyna flashes a stiff smile at the serving employee, who punches in her order of black coffee.

"You got it, gorgeous." He winks at her, and Reyna's smile disappears in a second, instead opting to move down the line as fast as she can. _'Creep.'_

Her usual seat is located near the big window, facing the view of the brewery's lawn (there's a large fountain with the statue of the god Dionysus, something Reyna finds highly amusing - not a lot of people get it though), and right under the seat is a charger.

She expects the seat to be empty as usual, because everyone who goes to the place knows that seat is Reyna's, but when she arrives, the seat is taken.

Reyna frowns.

"Excuse me, may I sit here?" Reyna requests politely, because solving the problem by yelling is just so... high school. She's way over that.

The boy sitting in her seat jumps in his seat, surprised, and when Reyna recognizes him she mentally scolds herself for not recognizing him earlier. Who else would have ears like an elf?

"Hi Reyna!"

Leo Valdez grins at her brightly, and Reyna returns the grin with an awkward smile. The two of them aren't close, but Leo is one of Jason's best friends, and they've met a couple times. She realizes she hasn't talked to him ever since moving in with Annabeth, though. Not that she cares.

"Leo." She nods at him, and he points at the seat in front of his. Taking the hint, she plops on the seat in front of him, and starts unzipping her bag for her laptop.

"Why do you never come over anymore? Jason misses you!" He is unaware of the effect those words have on Reyna, who tries not to blush - _'Jason doesn't miss you in that way, Reyna. Get over it!'_ \- and instead nods awkwardly at him.

"I'll visit sometime," She promises, and he brightens up even more (if that's even possible). Reyna doesn't know why her cheeks warm upon seeing the happiness etched on Leo's face.

They sit in amiable silence for a while, Leo going back to playing with his phone while looking at Reyna occasionally, and Reyna typing away on her laptop for her next assignment. She doesn't notice the lingering looks Leo leaves her, or the stupid smile on his face when he sees her furrowing her brows in frustration or curiosity.

When Reyna is halfway done with her assignment, she closes her laptop and prepares to stand up. Just before she walks away, Leo grabs her hand to stop her. She freezes in her steps and warily turns back - and as if it never happened, Leo drops her hand as if it burns him.

"Yes?"

"So, uh, Reyna," Leo stutters, and Reyna can't help but think he actually looks kind of cute like that. "I just realized I, uh, I don't have your number after being friends with you for all these years!" He finishes his sentence with what he may think could pass as confident grin, but in Reyna's eyes, it looks weak.

"Are you asking for my number?" Reyna raises a skeptical brow, and Leo nods, a tinge of red on his cheeks. She chuckles, and holds out her free hand. "Here, give me your cell."

After making a new contact for her on his phone, she walks away, this time without any sudden interruptions from Leo (or anyone else, really). As she's waiting for Annabeth to pick her up, her phone rings with a call from a number unsaved in her contacts, and she picks it up after a few moments of contemplation.

 _"Reyna?"_ Oh, it's Leo.

"Yes, Leo?"

 _"Nothing, I just wanted to check if you put in the right phone number, or uh, yeah..."_

"If that's it, I'm going to hang up now. I'll save your number."

 _"Okay!"_

"Bye."

/ / /

When Thursday comes, Annabeth's excitement keeps growing while Reyna's dread has reached one of its top levels. She's double checked whether her headphones are working or not, and she plans to sleep before Percy gets to their apartment, or just turn her headphones up and continue working on her law essay. Either way, Reyna keeps both options open as a just in case.

"Your roommate's boyfriend is coming over?" A girl from her class, one of Reyna's friends, wrinkles her nose in familiar distaste when Reyna tells her about her plans on Friday night. "That sucks."

"Do you have any experience with that?" Reyna asks, barely glancing from her laptop screen. She needs to find a few sources from her essay. Google Scholar, or regular Google search?

"Yep," The girl replies, popping the 'p.' "Silena's boyfriend, Charlie, comes over sometimes and they're so loud. I swear, it's PDA at its finest. It's like they don't even realize how thin the walls are." She shudders comically, and Reyna laughs softly. "I usually deal by staying over at someone else's place. Or you know, go to a bar and get wasted 'till next morning, sometimes be even louder than them just to show them who's the boss." By this point, Reyna has looked up from her screen to flash a mock-unimpressed look at her friend, her hand covering her the giggles coming out of her mouth. "How do you deal with - wait, let me guess - you _study._ "

"Is it that obvious?"

"Reyna, it looks like all you do is study. Live a little. Come to Travis and Connor's party with me tomorrow! It'll be fun, and you can meet someone!"

"I _don't_ want to meet anyone. I'm fine being alone."

Her friend rolls her pretty green eyes, and Reyna shrugs, tired of the topic. "Can we talk about something other than my love life?"

"You mean _non-existent_ love life."

"Be quiet."

/ / /

As annoying that conversation might have turned out, her friend's idea does inspire Reyna, though it's more of the staying over at a friend's house idea rather than the get wasted one. She's far too responsible and prideful for that - besides, if any of the professors ever see the school's gossip column publishing something along the lines of _'Miss Perfect Goody-Two-Shoes Reyna Ramírez Becomes America's Most Famous Girls Gone Wild Video?!'_ she can't imagine the heart attack it might cause them.

She takes out her phone and dials Jason's number, but the call heads straight to voicemail. When she tries again a few more times, it keeps going to voicemail, and she deduces he might be busy. Reyna gives up on Jason.

The next person on her list is Nico di Angelo, one of her new friends, but Reyna doesn't feel uncomfortable about the idea of staying over at his place, even if it's just the two of them, because Nico's gay. She's pretty sure he wouldn't do anything unhonorable if she stayed over.

The Italian picks up after two rings.

 _"Hello?"_ He sounds groggy and his voice is still heavy with sleep, and after sneaking a quick look at the clock, she realizes she must've woken him from one of his naps.

"Hey, Nico. I'm sorry for bothering you, but I was wondering if I could stay over tomorrow? My roommate's boyfriend is coming over."

Nico hesitates a few moments before answering, _"I'd love to, Reyna, but Will and I are going to the party tomorrow. Unless you want to come with us to the party, but you probably don't want to be the DD."_

"I wouldn't even want to go to the party," Reyna mumbles under her breath. "Alright. That's fine, Nico. Thanks though."

The next person she contacts is Piper, who says something about being out of town until next week. After an awkward call, Reyna realizes the next person she's calling is Leo Valdez. The slightly girl-crazy mechanic isn't an ideal choice, but beggars can't be choosers.

To her surprise, Leo picks up immediately.

 _"Hi, Reyna! What's up?"_ She wonders how he's able to still sound so bright and happy, even if it's over the phone.

"Hello, Leo. I'm sorry for bothering you-"

 _"You're never bothering me!"_

"Good to know. I was just wondering if I could stay over at your place tomorrow night, if you and your roommate don't mind? Mine's going to have someone over and I'm, uh." Reyna coughs in embarrassment. "I'm a light sleeper."

 _"Oh wow."_ Leo laughs, and Reyna coughs again. _"Sure you can, chica! I'm sure my roommates won't mind, they're rarely ever here anyways!"_

Reyna brightens at that - thank god Leo's available to help. "Thanks, Leo."

 _"No problem, Reyna!"_

/ / /

She manages to escape the dorm sometime after dinner with Annabeth and Percy, carrying a small bag over her shoulder. Annabeth doesn't ask where she's going, and Reyna's trip to Leo's dorm is peaceful and uneventful. When she arrives, she rings the buzzer and waits, her posture as straight and graceful as ever.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" A muffled shout comes from inside, and a few moments later, Leo Valdez opens the door, panting and looking out of breath. Reyna raises a brow at him. "Oh, hi Reyna! I didn't think you'd actually come over!" He has a stupid grin on his face, and Reyna just shrugs.

"I don't cancel plans without telling the other party at least a few hours before, Leo," Reyna answers, and comes inside when Leo motions her to come in. The inside of Leo's apartment is the same as any other student's apartment, only messier with some tools lying here and there. A large model of a dragon sits on the dinner table, and Reyna can't help but notice how impressive it looks.

"That's really good, Leo," She compliments, walking over towards the dragon to take a closer look at it. Reyna doesn't notice how Leo perks up at the compliment, the tips of his ear flaming red. "Is this for your end-of-term project?"

"It is!" Leo says enthusiastically, proudly showing off his work. "Its name is Festus, and take a look at this." He presses some things on the dragon, and soon it rises above the ground, flying. Reyna gasps softly, amazed. "It's got voice control instead of a remote! Festus, fly in circles twice." The robot does as Leo commands, and Reyna's amazement grows.

"Leo, that's amazing," She says, flashing a genuine smile at her friend. "I bet the professor's going to love it." Leo beams with pride, and Reyna assumes it's because of a genuine compliment - not to sound prideful, but most people know Reyna only says the truth, and she doesn't sugar coat anything. Compliments from her are rare, but when she gives a compliment, she means what she says.

The atmosphere is awkward for a few seconds, before Reyna breaks the silence with a question.

"So, I'm going to assume that's the couch I'm sleeping in?" She points at the small couch in front of the TV. It doesn't look comfortable, but Reyna's had worse. Besides, she's okay with sleeping on the floor, even.

"Actually, that couch is broken." Leo grins sheepishly, and Reyna sighs.

"Oh, okay. I'll sleep on the floor - do you have any spare blankets, though?"

"Are you sure you don't want to take my bed instead?" Leo asks, but Reyna can see a hint of reluctance in his voice, and she decides to spare him from the uncomfortable feel of the floor. She can live with it - it's only for a night, anyways.

"The floor is fine, Leo," She assures. "Just be sure to lend me a pillow and a blanket, though."

"But there's no air conditioner in the living room!" He argues, and Reyna shrugs.

"I can live with that."

"You could sleep in my bedroom - I mean, not on the same bed with me or something." He blushes, and Reyna can feel a hint of pink on her cheeks as well. "I can grab a mattress or something for you on the floor!" He pleads silently with his eyes, and Reyna sighs.

"Okay."

Leo ends up grabbing a comfortable mattress from his roommate's room after constant reassurances to a worried Reyna, and sets it on the floor of his room, right next to his bed. In a way, it reminds Reyna of the sleepovers she used to have with her sister, but she's not sure Leo will appreciate the comparison.

"Do I have to worry about you falling on my face later?" She asks dryly.

"Have a little faith in me, Reyna," Leo says, putting his hand over his heart in an over exaggerated manner. "I can totally be a gentleman in my sleep!"

They call lights out sometime after midnight, and Reyna goes to sleep with the blanket clutched tightly to her chest. She thinks she can feel her heart beating through her ribcage at the reminder of her sleeping in the same room as a guy she can barely call a close friend, but her fears dissipate when she hears the soft snore coming out of Leo's sleeping form. She lets out a snort of amusement before closing her eyes, a small smile tugged on her lips.

/ / /

When she wakes up the next morning, Leo is still snoring soundly on his bed (and true to his word, he didn't fall on her sometime during their hours of sleep), and she sits up from the bed, taking a few moments to regain her balance. She glances at the clock on the wall, and her eyes widen when she sees it's nearly 11AM.

"Oh gods," She whispers furiously under her breath as she packs her clothes in her bags hurriedly. Her alarm clock! She can't believe she forgot it at her bedside table. Reyna usually wakes up at dawn, to go on a short jog around campus, but she's long overslept that hour, obviously. Trying to not wake Leo, she sprints out the door and starts running towards her dorm, her hair still wild and uncombed.

When she unlocks the door to her apartment, Annabeth is sitting on the couch, watching a re-run of some show alone with a bowl of popcorn sitting next to her.

"Reyna?" Annabeth says as she notices her roommate, looking disheveled and so... _un-Reyna_ , coming in way past breakfast. "Where were you last night?" Instead of sounding interrogative, Annabeth actually sounds light-hearted and teasing, obviously thinking Reyna's absence as something more on the inappropriate side.

Was staying over at Leo's house inappropriate when they did nothing non-Platonic activities? Nah.

"I was at Leo's." She immediately realizes she said the wrong thing when Annabeth's lip quirk mischievously, her brows wriggling in a ridiculous suggestive manner. "It's not like that!"

"Oh come on Reyna, we're all just glad you've finally found someone," Annabeth teases, and Reyna chucks a hairbrush at her. Annabeth simply catches it and laughs.

"We didn't even do anything," Reyna states adamantly, her tone less than pleased. Annabeth doesn't catch the hint.

"He should come over sometimes! Then we could hang out and I could invite Percy too!" Annabeth keeps offering, and Reyna almost groans, only settling with a small sigh of distress. "Reyna, don't look so glum about it!"

"I'm not-"

"Leo is Leo Valdez, right? Jason's friend?" Her roommate keeps prompting Reyna, and the Puerto Rican only rolls her eyes. How many times has she rolled her eyes this morning? Reyna can't even keep count anymore.

When Annabeth finally stops pestering her (but the blonde's still got a teasing grin on her face whenever she spots Reyna on her phone, probably thinking whatever Reyna's using her phone for involves Leo - in reality Reyna's just playing a round of Candy Crush), the gears in Reyna's brain start wiring.

If she's so annoyed about how Annabeth keeps implying her and Leo's (nonexistent) relationship, why does she feel something... warm, and hopeful at the bottom of her stomach at the thought of her with Leo Valdez?

 _Oh gods. I can't actually like him, can I?_

Her phone suddenly rings in the middle of the game, startling her and causing her to almost jump in surprise. The screen flashes with Leo's caller ID, and completely aware of Annabeth sneaking glances at her and her phone, she picks up warily.

"What is it, Leo?"

Annabeth's grin grows wider. Reyna motions the blonde to stop.

 _"Reyna! I think you missed something."_

"I don't think I left anything behind..." Still though, she reaches for her bag and checks the inside, just to make sure. "Leo, I don't see anything missing. Are you sure?"

 _"You missed breakfast!"_

It takes half her self-control to prevent Reyna Avila Ramírez from sounding a groan of annoyance. "Leo..."

 _"Okay, okay, I'm sorry!"_ Leo squeaks, sounding scared out of his mind, and Reyna feels a swell of pride to know some people still think of her as intimidating. Even if said person is Leo Valdez. _"I was actually going to make something for you though, for breakfast."_

"Leo, can you even cook?"

 _"Nope! But I was going to try, and there was cereal as a backup plan."_ Unable to contain it, Reyna burst into a fit of chuckles. Okay, that one was amusing.

"There's always next time," She replies without really thinking it through, only realizing the implied meaning a few moments later. Reyna turns beet red.

 _"There's going to be a next time?"_ Leo asks, his voice betraying his surprise and laced with hope. Or, maybe it wasn't hope and Reyna was just imagining it. Reyna furrows her brows as she thinks of an answer - obviously, a yes would sound too eager and she's not even sure there was going to be a next time, but a no isn't definite either. She tries telling herself it definitely isn't because she wants to see Leo again, or anything. She just wants to see the dragon again - yeah! That.

"Maybe there will be a next time."

 _"Maybe?"_

"Yes, Leo. It's a maybe."


End file.
